Singles ditch Tinder, dating apps in favour of TikTok for relationships
Singles across Australia have joined a new trend in the quest for love and romance, ditching dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.
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It’s famous for dance trends, cute dogs and everything in between but now TikTok is being used as a dating app.
The platform has taken on a new role for lonely hearts, with users posting clips advertising themselves in “girlfriend and boyfriend application” videos around the globe.
And Australian TikTokers are getting on-board, looking for love with the help of a few hashtags.
The trend is simple – applicants record a promotional video of themselves as a potential partner, sharing key facts like their first name, age, height, location and their interests, along with their most flattering pictures.
Captioning the video with either #girlfriendapplication or #boyfriendapplication, the video is then posted online for other TikTok users to see in hopes of attracting a romantic partner.
The trend took off in September but is still going strong, with 88.5 million total views for videos of ladies searching for love and 86.5 million for eligible bachelors.
It comes as TikTok remains the world’s most popular non-gaming app, with the Chinese video sharing platform number one on the download charts for the tenth month running, according to app store marketing tracker Sensor Tower.
Social research and Gen Z expert Claire Madden said it was no surprise that younger generations would turn to the wildly popular app to look for love.
“When we think back to the Baby Boomer generation, they socialised through local dance halls or social clubs, mingling and getting to know people face-to-face,” Ms Madden said.
“With Gen Z, they instead spend a lot of their time socialising online … it’s not surprising that they’ve adapted TikTok, an online community, to be a place where you can meet your partner.”
Ms Madden added that TikTok and other social media platforms could potentially replace traditional dating apps like Tinder, Bumble or Hinge.
“Gen Z shapes social media as much as it shapes them … while online dating was far more taboo a decade ago, now it’s extremely common,” she said.
“As long as people continue to socialise online, it will no doubt continue to be a common way for them to meet others and potential partners, regardless of the social media site they are using.”
Sydney singleton Victoria Nucifora threw her hat in the ring on TikTok recently, posting a Girlfriend Application online, and received more than 4000 likes and 200 comments. While
Ms Nucifora, 26, said she took part in the trend mostly as a joke, she was “really surprised” by how many suitors reached out. “I saw a few of the application videos and thought it would be funny to make one and see if anyone would respond … I got way more of a reaction than I expected, quite a few people reaching out and messaging me,” Ms Nucifora said.
“I was surprised … but it was kind of cool to see that (on TikTok).”
And while she’s yet to find her perfect match, the business owner said she wouldn’t give up on love yet.
“I would love to meet someone in person but wouldn’t be surprised if I did meet someone online eventually … it’s the norm now,” Ms Nucifora said.
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Originally published as Singles ditch Tinder, dating apps in favour of TikTok for relationships
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